We are really sorry we could not empty your bin(s) on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (11-13 December) due to the slippery and icy conditions.

If we have missed your bin(s) this week, please leave them out and we'll do our best to empty them later this week and into next week. We will also take away any side waste left by your bin.

We will assess conditions first thing tomorrow (Thursday) morning, and will hopefully start with Monday's missed rounds. Our first priority will be to collect any missed blue or black bins. Missed brown bins will be collected in the new year.

Once again we are sorry for the inconvenience and would like to thank all our residents for their patience and understanding.

All our leisure centres are open as normal today

All of our leisure centres are open as normal today (Wednesday 13 December). This includes Burntwood Leisure Centre, Friary Grange Leisure Centre and King Edward VI Leisure Centre.

Gritting – find out more at www.staffordshire.gov.uk

Our partners Staffordshire County Council are responsible for gritting local roads and streets. To find out more visit www.staffordshire.gov.uk

New garden waste service - sign up from 15 December 2017

You can sign up to our new garden waste service from 15 December 2017. Visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/mygardenbin to find out more and register to receive an email when the sign-up form goes live. Thank you.

Running away from home

Thousands of young people run away from home every year. There are many reasons why you may feel like running away, like abuse or physical violence. If you are unhappy and feel like leaving home, free and confidential advice is available to help you stay safe or work out your problems.

It’s difficult to know for sure how many people go missing or run away from home in the UK. This is because cases of missing people are often not reported or recorded.

Missing young people are more likely to be reported to the police, because their parents, carers and friends become concerned about their whereabouts and safety.

Based on police figures, the Children’s Society estimate that around 100,000 people under 18 years old go missing every year. That works out at one young person going missing every five minutes.

There are many reasons why teenagers leave home without telling anyone.

These reasons include:

arguments with a parent or other relative

stress

abuse or violence at home

worries about money and debt

being thrown out of their home by a parent or carer

problems with drugs or alcohol

For many teenagers, the actual decision to run away is taken on the spur of the moment. This means that someone who runs away has not thought about:

where they will go

where they will sleep

how they will get access to money

the effect their decision will have on family members

Even if life at home is becoming unbearable, running away might not be the best option, even if it seems like the only one.

If you’ve been forced to leave home or are thinking about running away, there are lots of free helplines you can contact for more information.

The Runaway Helpline

The Runaway Helpline is for anyone under 18 years old who has run away from home and needs help and advice. You can also use the helpline if you’re thinking about running away.

The Runaway Helpline can help you get a message back to your parents to let them you know that you’re safe.

All contact with the Runaway Helpline is confidential, and the advisers can’t find out where you are unless you choose to tell them.

You can get in touch with the helpline by phone, text, email or on the website - see contact information below.

ChildLine

ChildLine advisers are trained to help with any problems that you’re having at home that are making you think about running away.

Calls to ChildLine are completely confidential and free, even if you call from a mobile phone - see contact details below